Qi Fan suddenly shivered.

Crouching on a small coffin, earnestly stirring and stirring, he stopped his hand from mixing the malt powder and looked up at the sky in puzzlement, muttering: “Strange, why is it suddenly a bit cold?”

Rong Xiaotian stood rigidly upright, glaring at him coldly: “This devilish thing you’re making provokes both heaven and man. The heavens are preparing to strike you down with lightning, of course it’s cold!”

“Don’t be like that,” Qi Fan approached with a cheeky grin, carrying another large basin. “This candy I’m making is made from select malt and rice. I added sesame, almonds, peanuts, mung beans, and snow fish roe that’s a specialty of Li Nation… It has both land and sea ingredients, both meat and vegetables – it’s sure to have a unique flavor. Want to try? Try it?”

“Bah!” Rong Xiaotian gave him a single word as his fierce response.

His curved eyebrows and smiling eyes immediately drooped down. Qi Fan sighed dejectedly: “So uncultured, so uncultured… I made so much, it’ll spoil if not eaten… Where did Rong’er go? When he comes back, he’ll definitely like it!”

Speaking of which, his spirits lifted. He simply dragged a chair to sit by the door, eagerly awaiting that poor wretch about to suffer candy poisoning.

Rong Xiaotian rolled his eyes and strode out. As he passed by Qi Fan, his wrist hooked out, causing the candy basin to tilt precariously.

As if prepared in advance, Qi Fan blocked it with his palm.

Clap clap clap – in an instant, the two exchanged three moves. The candy basin tilted and straightened, straightened and tilted, but never fell.

There wasn’t a drop of candy syrup on either of their robes.

After three moves, Rong Xiaotian automatically withdrew his hand, snorted, and said: “Your martial arts have improved. When shall we make our move?”

“New Year’s Day next year, he might go on inspection to the Sacred Altar to pay respects to ancestors,” Qi Fan smiled. “When that time comes, it’ll be up to you!”

“What about you?”

“Me?” Qi Fan looked incredulous. “This is business that could cost our heads – why do you always drag me into it?”

Rong Xiaotian acted as if he hadn’t heard and changed the subject: “Rong’er is four years old now. He keeps clamoring to learn martial arts – you should teach him.”

“Rong’er does have good natural talent,” Qi Fan said, intoxicated as he lowered his head to sniff the candy basin. “But do you think Master would really be willing for him to learn martial arts?”

Rong Xiaotian fell silent.

Qi Fan’s eyes rolled as he sighed hypocritically: “Poor Rong’er, who claims to ‘love Xiliang, love martial arts, love his dear mother’… None of your loves can actually be used…”

“Who says they can’t be used?”

A lazy female voice drifted over.

Qi Fan’s eyebrow twitched.

Rong Xiaotian’s fingers moved to his waist.

Both men’s gazes – whether playful or rebellious – instantly pierced like needles toward the woman who had brazenly intruded while holding their little master.

She appeared to be only sixteen years old, with a slender figure and clear, beautiful features. While not absolutely stunning, she could still be considered a beauty.

However… Qi Fan narrowed his eyes. This woman’s expression was composed, her brow gentle and harmless, yet her eyes held little mirth. When she turned her gaze, there was a subtle, treacherous gleam, but her temperament was extremely transcendent. Her entire person seemed shrouded in mist and fog, mysterious and noble.

Qi Fan glanced at Xiao Rong’s arms tightly hugging Qin Chang Ge’s neck and sighed inwardly. The little master had randomly claimed another mother. This time the one he claimed didn’t seem like a simple character – this looked troublesome.

Qin Chang Ge smiled as she looked at Qi Fan and Rong Xiaotian, her former capable subordinates, two of the Phoenix Alliance’s three heroes. After several years, they remained as cunning as ever, as rebellious as ever.

Where was Fei Huan? The most mysterious, most cold, and most skilled in martial arts among the three – why wasn’t he here?

Qin Chang Ge was slightly lost in thought.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Rong, who had been affectionately hugging her neck all along, suddenly released his grip upon seeing Qi Fan and the others, and scampered toward Qi Fan: “Uncle, this woman forced me to call her mother!”

…

Good, good, good son.

You randomly claimed mothers on the street yourself. I kindly helped you out of the situation, but you don’t mention that. Instead you blame me and say I forced you?

Who did you learn such behavior from?

Qin Chang Ge stared at Qi Fan with a hair-raising smile, completely forgetting that Xiao Rong’s genetics actually came from herself.

However, this little fellow was both stupid and not stupid. He immediately saw that Qi Fan didn’t recognize her, so the candy threat on the street was just to scare him. Now with relatives to back him up and no candy threat, Baozi immediately turned against her, his ability to shift with the wind surpassing even his teacher.

Qin Chang Ge crouched down and asked Xiao Rong with a smile: “Why do you say I’m not your mother?”

Xiao Jue’s dark eyes rolled: “You’re not my mother because you don’t smell good!”

“Who told you your mother must smell good?”

Xiao Rong was stumped and looked pleadingly at his uncles for help, but no one paid him attention.

His mouth drooped: “Because I smell good!”

“Just because you smell good means your mother must also smell good?”

“Because she’s my mother!”

“Why must your mother smell good just because you do?”

“Because I smell good!”

…

Within a few exchanges, Xiao Baozi was completely confused by this profound, unsolvable, endless tongue twister like “which came first, the chicken or the egg.”

Qi Fan pushed Xiao Rong into the house: “How embarrassing. Go inside, wash your hands, and prepare to eat candy.”

Xiao Rong went in tearfully, gnawing his fingers with resentment. Qin Chang Ge watched her son with a half-smile, also feeling it was quite embarrassing.

Here, seeing Xiao Rong safely inside, Qi Fan silently breathed a sigh of relief, turned to smile at Qin Chang Ge, grinning very amiably.

“Miss, are you here to buy a coffin? Considering that you forced our young master to call you mother, we can offer a discount.”

…

Qin Chang Ge looked around and sighed: “Why do you still like squatting in coffin shops? Phoenix Alliance has so many stores – even choosing a silk shop would be better.”

Qi Fan’s smile suddenly vanished.

Rong Xiaotian’s relaxed fingers moved back to his sword hilt.

However, Qi Fan immediately smiled again.

“Yellow Alliance?” Qi Fan looked bewildered and turned to Rong Xiaotian: “Miss, are you looking for someone? Is there anyone here with that name?”

Rong Xiaotian rolled his eyes: “Why should I help you find people I don’t know?”

Qin Chang Ge smiled again: “Phoenix as in the phoenix bird, Alliance as in sworn alliance.”